A Revolution in Employer-Sponsored Health Plans?

Jason Millman: “As workers are increasingly asked to pay more from their own pockets for employer-sponsored health plans, there’s a big shift happening in how businesses are planning to offer health insurance.”

“About 6 million Americans with workplace coverage in 2014 received their health insurance through privately run health insurance exchanges, where employees can select coverage from a number of health plans — double the number from the year before, according to a new report from Accenture.”

“The exchanges work like the insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act, which provide a platform to shop and compare health plans. Unlike the Obamacare exchanges, however, the private-run exchanges don’t provide publicly funded subsidies to purchase insurance.”

“Obamacare’s looming “Cadillac” tax on high-cost health insurance plans could drive more employers to contain their health costs if the tax isn’t altered in a significant way before the levy takes effect in 2018.”